This narrated video essay examines the ancient and medieval tale of Bishop Bricius of Tours (r. 397-444) and the troubled relationship he had with his suspicious community. Enjoy the audio and visual presentation of this curious story, involving scandals, miracles, and an ordeal by fire in a long saga that spanned from ancient France to Rome.
Saint Bricius (or Brice) was a peculiar bishop who oversaw the bishopric of Tours between the years, 397 and 444. His immediate predecessor and mentor in Tours was Saint Martin, who was bishop of the region from 371 to 397. Unfortunately, Bricius was far from an ideal understudy, as he gained a reputation as a moody, skeptical, overly sarcastic and jealous man, especially toward his mentor, while St. Martin lived. Their curious relationship was discussed by Gregory of Tours, a later 6th-century bishop of the region, who wrote in his Ten Books of Histories, also commonly known as The History of the Franks, that “the Saint used very frequently to rebuke him for spending too much of his time on trivial matters” and “Even when he had been ordained as a priest, Bricius continued to cause pain to the Saint by his sarcastic remarks” (The History of the Franks, Book II, Chapter 1). Despite these red flags, Bricius was ordained as a priest and, for whatever reason, St. Martin named him as heir to the bishopric of Tours.
Despite St. Martin’s faith in his successor, Bricius received barely a lukewarm reception from the people he was meant to be shepherding. He coexisted with his community for decades, but he never really inspired any noticeable trust, respect, or camaraderie, leaving his career a proverbial powder keg. Bricius’ unstable relationship with his congregants eventually shattered completely when he was one day accused of being the father of a washwoman’s newborn boy. The people of Tours were so ill disposed against their bishop that they immediately believed the accuser, and the unruly mob quickly pushed for Bricius to be stoned to death. On this, Gregory of Tours reported, “A woman to whom his servants used to give his clothes to wash, and who for religious reasons had herself given up wearing lay garments, became pregnant and bore a child. At this news the entire population of Tours rose in its anger. They laid the whole guilt on their Bishop and as one man wanted to stone him to death” (The History of the Franks, Book II, Chapter 1). The bishop, however, was given a chance to defend himself against the accusation. For his defense, he ultimately decided to rely upon a signature move of ancient saints—miracles—to prove his innocence.
According to Gregory of Tours, Bricius had the washwoman’s baby brought before him, in view of all the townspeople. Summoning all of his clerical power, the bishop commanded the newborn, in the name of Jesus, to proclaim for the congregation whether or not Bricias was his father. If the local tradition of Tours is to be believed, the baby was indeed compelled to tell the truth and, even though he could not yet talk, the newborn eloquently exclaimed, “you are not my father” (Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, Book II, chapter 1). After miraculously stating this short sentence, the baby lost the power of speech and once more took on the characteristics of the average newborn baby.
Talking baby aside, what looks like a miracle to one person can also look like a trick or an illusion to another. In Tours, the town’s dislike for Bricius made them skeptical of the miraculous baby. Rather than take the baby’s words as proof of the bishop’s innocence, the people of Tours instead accused Bricius of using diabolical magic to make the child speak. Consequently, the bishop now needed to clear himself of an additional accused crime, one that was more serious than the first. Upon this realization, he decided to perform a second miracle. Once more, Bricius gathered the congregation to witness something spectacular. According to Gregory of Tours, Bricius, “placed burning coals in his cassock and pressed them against his body and went in procession with the whole mob to the tomb of Saint Martin. When he reached the tomb he dropped the coals on the ground, but his cassock had no marks of burning on it…” (The History of the Franks, Book II, Chapter 1). Bricius triumphantly pointed out that he, too, was unscathed, without a scorch to be seen on his body. The bishop, however, was held in such little esteem that these miracles were dismissed as flukes. After these peculiar events, the result of the trial was bittersweet. On a positive note, he managed to escape death by stoning, but, on the other hand, the people of Tours went on to sentence Bricius to exile.
Following the bizarre trial, the exiled bishop fled to Rome. He somehow ingratiated himself with successive popes, presumably coinciding with the reigns of Popes Celestine I (who ruled between 422 and 432) and Sixtus III (reigning from 432 to 440). Back home, the people of Tours elected for themselves two successive bishops, named Justinian and Armentius. Curiously, Bricius was still technically the bishop, as Justinian and Armentius were considered illegitimate by the Roman popes. Our medieval source for this tale, the aforementioned bishop and historian, Gregory of Tours, also agreed that Bricius was the rightful bishop. After the death of Armentius, the city of Tours finally accepted Bricius back into the community and let him awkwardly resume his role as bishop of the region until his death in the year 444.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Popes during the time of Bricius:
*Pope/Saint Siricius (r. 384 to 399)
*Pope/Saint Anastasius I (r. 399-401)
*Pope/Saint Innocent I (401-417)
*Pope/Saint Saint Boniface I (r. 418-422)
*Pope/Saint Celestine I (r. 422 to 432)
*Pope/Saint Sixtus III (r. 432-440)
*Pope Leo I (reigned 440–461)
Book Sources:
- The History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours, translated by Lewis Thorpe. New York: Penguin Classics, 1971.
Image sources:
- https://www.europeana.eu
- https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/
- https://www.clevelandart.org/art/collection/search
- https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection
- https://www.parismuseescollections.paris.fr
- https://www.artic.edu/collection
- https://cyfrowe.mnw.art.pl/en/home
- https://open.smk.dk/en/
- https://catalogue.leidenuniv.nl/nde/home?vid=31UKB_LEU:UBL_NDE&lang=en
- https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/
- https://collection.nationalmuseum.se/sv/
- https://sammlungenonline.albertina.at/
All of the artworks used in the video were labeled as Public Domain, Open Access, or Free Use at the time of the video’s creation.
Video Music Selections:
Music: Adventure by Alexander Nakarada (https://www.creatorchords.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Music: One Bard Band by Alexander Nakarada (https://www.creatorchords.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Music: Lurking Sloth by Alexander Nakarada (https://www.creatorchords.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Music: Marked by Alexander Nakarada (https://www.creatorchords.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
